Multiple-contact field for selectors



Aug. 27, 1929. D. L. LIENZEN 1,726,156

MULTIPLE CONTACT FIELD FOR SELECTORS Filed Dec. 28, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q ,g, ai /8 0 2% /NVeIvTd Aug. 27, 1929. D. L. LIENZE IN 1,726,156

MULTIPLE CONTACT FIELD FOR SELECTORS Filed Dec. 28, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 5/; 722% 7 6%& 2%

Aug. 27, 1929.

D. LIENZE IN MULTIPLE CONTACT FIELD FOR SELECTORS Filed Dec. 28, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 D. L. LIENZE IN 1,726,156

MULTIPLE CONTACT FIELD FOR SELECTORS Filed Dec. 28, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 F wm /w y Aug. 27, 1929.

- M MH HN HWHWMMMMHMU w n 5 m M/ w Aug. 27, 1929. D. 1.. LIENZEN 6 MULTIPLE CONTACT FIELD FOR SELECTQRS Filed Dec. 2a, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 27, 1929.

UNITE STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

DAVID LAURENTIUS rirnnznn, or srooi'rnoLM, swnnnn', Assrenon TO TELEFON- .AKTIEBOLAGET L. M. ERIossoN, or s'rooirnorllu, swnnnn, A COMPANY on SWEDEN.

MULTIPLE-CONTACT FIELD FOR SELEGTORS.

Application filed December 28, 1%7, Serial No. 243,125, and in Sweden January 5, 1927.

The invention relates to selector switches used in the automatic telephony and in which the incoming and outgoing ines extend in two directions at right angles to each other and are connected at the points of intersection to contacts, which can be selected and operated by means of a selector mechanism disposed in front of the contact field. The object of the invention is to'reduce the size of the contact field by utilizing the space available in a direction perpendicular to the front side of the contact field. The invention chiefly consists in the contact points being disposed in several planes parallel with the front side of the field. The linesextending in one direction are then preferably so arranged as to form parallelepipedical bundles of bare wires to which the lines extending in the other direction may be con nected by means of contact arms arranged between the different layers of wires and adapted to be selected and operated by means of the selecting mechanism provided in front of the field. 7

The invention will be described more closely with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate different embodiments of the invention. Figures 1, 2 and 3 show one form of the contact field with the appertaining selecting mechanisms. Figure 1 shows the contact field and the selector mechanism-in a sectional View along the line.

11 of Figure 2; Figure 2is a front view and Figure 3 a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1. Figures 4: and 5 show a side view and a plan view respectively of another form of the contact field and Figures 6 and 7 are similar views of a thirdform of the contact field. Figures 8, 9 and 10 are a side view, a front view and a plan view respectively of a modified form of the contact arms. Figures 11, 12 and 13 are similarviews of a modification of the construction shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10.

In the construction shown in Figures 1 to 3 the wires of the contact field as well as the selector mechanisms arev mounted in a frame work consisting of a number of vertical beams 1 which are joined together at their upper and lower ends by means of horizontal bars 2, 3. Between the two beams of each pair there is provided a number of for instance ten or fifteen identical selector mechanisms with appertaining contact fields. The latter consist in the example shown of ten parallelepipedical bundles of horizontal wires 4, preferably bare wires, disposed above one another, and a number of bundles of wires 5, corresponding to the different selector mechanisms and extending vertically. The wires 4 may for instance constitute the outgoing lines, whereas the incoming lines are represented by the vertical Wires 5. The wire field is carried by a frame work arranged between the horizontal bars and consisting of two vertical bars 6, 7 and a number of horizontal bars 8 of an angular crosssection which are screwed to the bars 6, 7 and further a number of vertical bars 9 which are screwed to the horizontal bars 2, 3. The wires 4 are drawn through holes in insulating plates 10 which are screwed to the bars 9. Each plate lOcarries a bundle of wires comprising ten lines each consisting of three wires, viz, the two speaking line branches and'a test wire. The three wires of each line form a horizontal layer of wires. The vertical wires 5 are similarly drawn through holes in insulating plates 11 screwed to the horizontal bars 8; Each selector mechanism has one incoming line consisting of three wires 5.

The connections between the incoming and outgoing lines are established by means of contact arms 12 arranged at the points of intersection of the different lines and which consist of elastic metal strips, which are soldered or otherwise connected to the wires 5. They are arranged so as to extend horizontally between the horizontal layers of wires 4;, so that the ends of the contact arms will be located right above the corresponding wires 4:. Each set of three contact arms is arranged to be operated from the selector mechanism through the medium of a thin 9 plate 18 of insulating material placed on the contact arms and adapted to be retained in position by the wires 5 passing through holes in the plate. Said plate is normally kept in a raised horizontal position by the contact arms 12. Inserted in the front edge of said plate there is a piece of metal 14 serving as anactuating point for the selector mechanism as will be described hereinafter.

he selector mechanism comprises a number of switching members 15. In the example shown there are ten such members, which consist of sleeves thrust on a vertical shaft 16 and provided with contact actuating members consisting of radial. pins 17 arranged along a helical line. By rotating the sleeve said pins can be brought successively in operating position to actuate the metal pieces 14 on the plates 13, so that the different groups of contact springs 12 are successively brought in contact with the appertaining wires 4. The sleeves 15 are mounted in journals 18 secured to the left hand side of a plate 19, which forms the frame in which the selector mechanism is mounted. In the example shown each selector mechanism is assumed to establish connection between one incoming line and one hundred outgoing lines, the latter being arranged in ten groups each containing ten lines. Thus, each line group has allotted to' it a separate switching sleeve 15.

In order to be able to establish connection in any line group wanted, the switching sleeves 15 are arranged to be coupled mechanically in and out of connection with the shaft 16 by a vertical movement of the latter. The coupling is effected by means of pins 20 provided on the shaft, said pins being adapted, upon the shaft being raised, to enter notches 21 in rings 22 which are fastened inside the sleeves to their upper ends. The selecting of the different switching sleeves is effected by means of a step-wise vertical movement of the shaft 16 from its normal position. By raising the shaft one step the first i. e. the lowermost sleeve 15 is coupled to the shaft 16 by the lowermost pin 20 entering the notch 21 in said sleeve. If connection is wanted with a line in the first group, the shaft 16 is then rotated step-wise the sleeve 15 being carried round by the pin 20. The lowermost pin 17 on said sleeve will then press against the metal piece 14 of the lowermost plate 13, which therefore will press the appertaining group of contact arms 12 into contact with the corresponding wires 4. Figures 1 and 3 show the position of the mechanism after the sleeve 15 has thus been rotated for one step in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 3. If the shaft 16 is rotatedfor another step, the first group of contact arms is released and is caused by the elasticity of the contact arms to resume its normal position, the second group of contact arms being instead actuated by the second pin 17 on the sleeve 15. In this way evidently any wanted group of contact arms may be selected and operated. During the switching operation in one line group the switching sleeves 15 of all the other line groups are inoperative, as the appertaining coupling pins 20 are not then in engagement with the corresponding sleeves. If the shaft 16 is at first raised two steps, the second switching sleeve 15 will be coupled to the shaft 16 by the appertaining pin 20 enter ing into engagement with the notch 21 of the second sleeve. The coupling pin 20 of the first switching sleeve will then be located above this sleeve and the following rotation of the shaft 16 will therefore only cause the second switching sleeve to be rotated. Similarly the third, fourth etc. switching sleeves can be coupled to the shaft 16 by lifting the shaft three, four etc. steps. After the end of the conversation the shaft 16 and the sleeve 15 are restored to normal position by a further rotation of the shaft 16 in the same direction, until it reaches its normal position, in which the pins 20 are all right below the notches 21 of the appertaining sleeves.

The motion mechanism consists of a lifting electro-magnet 23 and a rotary magnet 24 with appertaining driving pawls 25 and 26 respectively operating on teeth 27 and 28 respectively on the lower end of the shaft-16. During the operation of the electro-magnet 23 the shaft is maintained in a raised position of the pawl 29, which together with the pawl 25 may be brought out of engagement with the teeth 27 by means of a restoring electro-magnet 30. The magnets 23, 24 and 30 are mounted together with the shaft 16 and the appertaining switching sleeves 15 on the left hand side of the appertaining frame 19, which thus carries the whole selector mechanism. The frame 19 is secured to the transversal bars 2, 3 by means of screws 41, 42 in such a manner that it can be easily detached by loosening said screws. The mount ing of the frame in its position is facilitated by its lowermost edge being'guided in a slot 33 provided in a base plate 34 screwed tothe lower bar 3. A transversal bar 35 serves as a support for the frame while being inserted in its place.

7 The setting movements of the selectors may also be continuous in which case the shaft 16 is arranged to be driven from rotating shafts or the like according to methods well known in the automatic telephony. The invention is, however, not limited to any particular selector mechanism as the construction of the contact field, which is the object of this invention, is independent of the means used for selecting and operating the different sets of contacts.

As will be seen from the above the object of the invention has been attained by extending the contact field, as regards the location of the contact points, in a direction perpen dicular to the front side of the contact field. Thus in Figures 1 to 3 the wires of each line form layers of wires which are perpendicular to the front side of the contact field. I This idea may be further developed as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, which show only a few contact arms and the adjacent parts of the contact field as well as the appertaining switching sleeves. In this arrangement each horizontal layer comprises six wires belonging to two lines. The incoming wires of each selector mechanism are then also six. By means of a corresponding number of contact arms arranged similarly as in Figures 1 to 3, the two outgoing lines of each horizontal I layer may .be connected each to one of the vertical lines 36, 37. The incoming line .38 may then be connected in a manner known per se by means of a relay 39 to one or the other of the two vertical lines 36, 37. Said line 38 is normally connected through the back contacts of the relay 39 to the one line 36 and may be connected to the other 37 by the energization of the relay 39.

Figures 6 and 7 show a modification of the contact field and the contact arms which is chiefly characterized by the Wires belonging to each separate outgoing line being disposed in layers which are parallel to the front'side of the contact field. This arrangement will increase the size of the contact field in the direction of the selector shaft but by providing several layers of wires behind one another in accordance with the invention the space in a direction perpendicular to the front side of the contact field may be utilized for compensating said disadvantage. The incoming lines 5 are in this case arranged in front of the appertaining layers of outgoing wires 4 in the way shown in Figure 7. Tire contact arms are embedded in a lever 40 cast of insulated materiahfor instance bakelite. In this case the contact arms need not be soldered to the incoming lines. They may for instance be so arranged so as to normally rest with their ends in contact with the wires 5 or so as to be brought in contact with said wires upon being operated by the selector mechanism. All levers 40 disposed above one another may be pivoted to a common shaft 41. The rear groups of contact arms are similarly carried by levers 43 arranged to be operated from the selecting mechanism through the medium of the levers 40 located in front thereof on the same level. To this end the levers 40 are provided with a stirrupshaped extension 42 acting against the opposite lever 43. For shifting the connection to one or the other of the two lines a relay 39 may be used similarly as in Figures 4, 5.

In the construction shown in Figures 8 to 10 the incoming lines 5 are arranged between the different vertical layers of outgoing wires 4. This arrangement requires another construction of the contact arms. The latter in this case are made of U-shaped plate strips, one branch 44 of which is connected with the appertaining wire 5 by means of a ring 45 soldered to the contact plate, whereas the other branch 46 is adapted to make contact with the wire 4 located below the contact plate, When the contact arms are operated by the selecting mechanism. The contact arms 12 belonging to the same group of contacts are embedded at one end in an in sulating plate 47 of bakelite which is pivotally mounted on a pin 50 inserted between two bars 48, 49 of the frame. The plates 47 are normally held in a raised position by the branches 46 as shown in the drawing. They are arranged to "be operated by the pins 17 on the switching sleeves similarly as above described. In this case, however, the plates 47 will swing on axes which are perpendicular to the front side of the field.

Figures 11, 12 and 13 show a modification of the arrangement illustrated in Figures 8, 9 and 10. In this modification the incoming line wires 5 are arranged behind the outgoing wires 4 whereas the arrangement of the contact arms is chiefly the same as in Figures 8, 9 and 10 with the difference only which is due to the said arrangement of the incoming lines behind the out-going lines. Thus, the form of the contact arms 12 has to be modified in the way seen in Figure 13 I claim:

1. In a selector switch, a multiple contact field comprising two sets of wires extending in different directions perpendicular to each other and connected to incoming and out going telephone lines respectively one set of wires forming parallelepipedical bundles of wires in which the wires are disposed in layers in planes parallel with'the front side of the contact field and also in planes perpendicular thereto, means for interconnecting the wires of the incoming and outgoing lines at the points of intersection consisting I of sets of contact arms arranged inside the contact field between the difi'erent layers of wires, said contact arms being permanently fixed at one end to wires of the one set and adapted to be operated to make contact with wires of the other set by being moved in a direction perpendicular to the wires last mentioned, and a selector mechanism for operating said contact arms.

2. In a selector switch a multiple contact field comprising two sets of wires extending in different directions perpendicular to each other and connected to incoming and outgoing telephone lines respectively one set of wires forming parallelepipedical bundles of wires in which the wires are disposed in layers in planes parallel with the front side of the contact field and also in planes perpendicular thereto, means for interconnecting the wires of the incoming and outgoing lines at the points of intersection consisting of sets of contact arms arranged inside the contact field between the different layers of wires, said contact arms being permanently fixed at one end to wires of the one set and adapted to be operated to make contact vwith wires of the other set and each set of contact arms comprising the contact arms of a plurality of lines, and means for operating each set of contact arms so as to establish simultaneous connections between a plurality of incoming lines and a corresponding number of outgoing lines.

3. In a selector switch a multiple contact field comprising two sets of wires extending in different directions perpendicular to each.

other and connected to incoming and outgoing telephone lines respectively one set of Wires forming; parallelepipedical bundles of Wires in which the Wires are disposed in layers in planes parallel with the front side of the contact field and also in planes perpendicular thereto, each single Wire layer perpendicular to the front side of the contact field comprising the Wires of a plurality of telephone lines, means for interconnecting the Wires of the incoming and outgoing lines at'the points of intersection consisting of sets of contact arms arranged inside the contact field between the different layers of wires each set of contact arms having anumber of contact arms corresponding to the number of Wires of each layer, and means for operating each set of contact arms so as to establish simultaneous connections between a plurality of incoming lines and a corresponding number of outgoing lines.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

DAVID LAURENTIUS LIENZEN. 

